Thursday, December 22, 2016

Head Turner!!! That's the phrase that came to mind when I saw this pullover top. And if this wasn't fabulous enough, Cissie took it to another level by adding sable cuffs! Thank You Cissie for sharing this beautiful holiday look.

I needed a quick, easy top with some holiday bling for a girls’ Christmas party. So happy to find this pretty sequined stretch velvet (Sold Out) in my stash.

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The pattern is New Look 6439 and it went together from start to finish in 2 hours. The fabric was very nice to sew with and the sequins caused no needle breakage. I can wear the top with or without the sable cuffs! Depends on how flashy I want to look!! I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a bit of glamour for the holidays!

Friday, November 25, 2016

It’s that time of year when the spirit of gratitude is celebrated. And in that spirit, l’m having the 1st store wide sale as a "Thank You" to everyone for a great year! For 2 days, take an additional 20% off all sale or regular price merchandise (excluding Burda Style). Head on over to Sew Much Fabric and use coupon code Give Thanks.

Monday, November 21, 2016

I'm loving Dorcas's new black T-shirt. Thank you for sharing j.jill's method of making a T-shirt. I'm definitely going to use it! Follow my fellow Texan's sewing adventures at Lone Star Couture.What item in a wardrobe is more basic than the T-shirt? It can transition from flea market to cocktail simply by changing from jeans and flats to a skirt and heels. Well, and maybe a little spritz of your fragrance after powdering your nose!I have had this j.jill tee for probably 10 years. It's so ratty I don't wear it any longer but I've hung on to it because one day I wanted to clone it. Roz's invitation to participate in her Basics series was just the impetus I needed.

Here is a comparison of the old and new:

What I love about the j.jill shirt is the double layer front that creates a soft, becoming V-neck eliminating the need for neck binding, which on a V-neck can be fiddly. The best part of it, however, is the beefy rayon knit from Sew Much Fabric! I plan on buying this in every color that Roz stocks.For my project I used my old standby Vogue 8536 which is no longer in print. Why, I don't know because it is the most basic of basics for great tees. Grab it online somewhere if you don't have it.

All I did was cut 2 fronts and use one for a facing and then treating them as one. At the back neck I made a binding from shoulder to shoulder. Easy peasy.I wore the tail off of this shirt in Morocco. It's a great layering piece as proven in this picture taken in the Atlas mountains. It was one of 7, yes seven, shirts I had on that day because it was so cold.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

What a chic wrap Samina made! Perfect to wear for the cooler mornings or whenever you feel chilly in places like the movies or a restaurant. You can follow Samina's sewing adventures at Sew Everything Blog. Thank you Samina!

Hi Readers, is this a cute wrap or what!! Its stylish and practical, and seems cozy enough for very mild winters in my area.

It has a sleeve for one arm and the other arm is put through an opening which is hidden under a flap. Slick! Or, the stole can be thrown over the shoulder instead of the arm going through the opening. The pattern is from Decades of Style pattern company which reproduces vintage styles for the modern seamstress. This is a reproduction of a 1950s look.

So, you know me, right? I complicate perfectly good things. The stole is lined, but I decided to keep it unlined to showcase the two-sided feature of a knit purchased from Sew Much Fabric. Also, it would serve as a “wearable muslin”, should I decide to make a lined version.

My plan was to make the three seams into fake flat felled seams. Why not a real flat felled seam? Because the knit fabric is a tad lofty for the layers formed with a real FF seam. To make the fake FF seam, I stitched at 5/8”, trimmed one side down to ¼”, pressed the other (5/8) over the trimmed layer without folding as it’s done in real ff seams, topstitched evenly down the seam, and trimmed again close to the stitching. That worked ok, but just ok. This is was a “meh” moment.The other decision involved finishing the stole’s edges – and there is a mile of edges. Just turning over and sewing a hem will take away the reversible look, which is looking like a distant goal at this point. I could leave the edges raw since knit will not ravel. Or, I could use fold-over elastic. Or, I should forget about making this wrap reversible. The fold-over elastic won. But, I have another question: how do you finish off the ends of the fold-over elastic? To end it all, this wrap is not reversible. Sorry.

The wrap feels great when it’s on, and I feel good in it. Now, on to the lined version plan.